JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 19, 2010) - The ETSU baseball team has started preparations for the 2010 opener against The Citadel on Feb. 19 in the The Citadel Memorial Challengeat Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C.

"Our players and staff are excited about our preparation for the 2010 season," said head coach Tony Skole. "It is hard to believe Opening Day is only thirty days away. With the NCAA mandatory start date for official practice on January 29, we will only have three weeks to get ready to play. It would be nice to have a little more time, but we don't have that luxury. Every day between now and the start of the season is vitally important."

The Bucs are currently going through individual work outs, and will start team practices on Jan. 29. ETSU has had Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Bo Reeder (Cookeville. Tenn.) receive preseason All-America honors as the Buccaneers return a very talented squad in 2010.

"Our guys have been working extremely hard and our workouts have been very productive since they returned from the holidays," Skole said. "They understand the importance of each day and how it relates to the process of what we are trying to accomplish. This group is very self-motivated and is very eager to get their work in every day. I couldn't be more pleased with how the first week has gone."

ETSU will look to improve upon a 25-28 record from a year ago as the Bucs made it as far as the Atlantic Sun Tournament semifinals.

For more information on Buccaneer baseball or any other athletic news, please visit www.ETSUBucs.com.